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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28256802">Something Beautiful, Simple, and Bright</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatWouldJackSparrowDo/pseuds/WhatWouldJackSparrowDo'>WhatWouldJackSparrowDo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jack's Troped Fics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The 100 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Getting Together, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, New Year's Eve, Not Actually Unrequited Love, POV John Murphy (The 100), Post-Season/Series 05 AU, Prank Wars, Romance, Team as Family, Unreliable Narrator, everyone ships it, past John Murphy/Emori - Freeform, probably inaccurate depiction of concussion symptoms and other medical things</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:41:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,819</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28256802</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatWouldJackSparrowDo/pseuds/WhatWouldJackSparrowDo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Six months after Wonkru and Eligius manage to establish peace and divide Eden between themselves (with a little slice shaved off for Spacekru, of course), Clarke has a mission: plan a New Year’s Eve party for fifteen hundred people within three weeks.</p><p>Murphy’s mission? Stop her from burning out in the process. Oh, and if he could just get Monty to quit it with the freaking noisemakers, that would be great, too.</p><p>(…Okay, yeah, he’d also like to date Clarke for real instead of just sleeping with her. But that’s a pipe dream, right?)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Background Echo/Raven Reyes, Background Eric Jackson/Nathan Miller, Clarke Griffin/John Murphy, John Murphy &amp; Spacekru, Madi &amp; John Murphy (The 100), Monty Green/Harper McIntyre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jack's Troped Fics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2241570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>TROPED: Holiday Trope Exchange 2.0</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Something Beautiful, Simple, and Bright</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylifeiskara/gifts">mylifeiskara</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy holidays everyone! So excited to be participating in another Chopped event. HUGE thanks to the lovely people who orchestrated all of this! (Seriously, I don't know how you manage it!)</p><p>My tropes were:<br/>- Friends with benefits AU<br/>- Prank war<br/>- Characters are not together but are mistaken for a couple<br/>- Based on a song (All Through the Night by Anna Nalick is what I chose, which is where the title comes from by the way!)</p><p>Friends with benefits AU in particular is definitely out of my comfort zone but I really enjoyed the challenge, so thanks to my giftee for an awesome assignment! I just hope it's as much fun to read as it was to write &lt;3</p><p>For those of you who like to listen to music while reading, I've got a <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6JPMftlRigYFuU3vtniUJs?si=v9-yYvqsTjWt9GQT4RZNYw">short</a> playlist (~1.5 hrs) and a <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2oFI0SB2D5Ld8J5ug9SPz3?si=xGWB1-H9TpanMjoKCqD1Qw">long</a> playlist (~4 hrs) full of theme songs for the story!</p><p>I spent a long time struggling to figure out what kind of technology and resources were feasible for the setting before I realized I was spending way, WAY too much time researching that stuff for a fic that's really meant to be more about the characters than the plot, especially considering time constraints, so in the end I decided they had whatever resources and technology I wanted them to have. Please try to suspend your disbelief if anything is a little unrealistic because of that!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h4>1 DAY + 2 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>"You're probably wondering how I got here, aren't you?"</p><p>The guard at the entrance to the cave glanced over his shoulder at Murphy, then briefly scanned his surroundings as if some other listener might sprout from the stone floor. Finally, his gaze flicked back to Murphy. "Not... really? I was there when we kidnapped you, remember?"</p><p>"Kinda hard to remember anything with this <em>giant freaking headache</em> your friend gave me," Murphy replied pointedly, gesturing, as best he could with his hands bound together in front of him, to the specific part of his head that had been assaulted with some kind of blunt weapon two hours ago.</p><p>The guard winced, seeming, to his credit, genuinely abashed. "Yeah, sorry about that. We actually weren't supposed to hurt you at all if we could help it, but..., well, Jenkins is a little excitable."</p><p>Murphy hummed in acknowledgement. "Anyway, what I meant was that you're probably wondering how I ended up in this position in the first place."</p><p>"I absolutely am not," the guard disagreed, his amicable demeanor evaporating at once. "The chief is gonna finish negotiating with your girlfriend real soon, and then you'll be out of here. Just shut your yapper till then."</p><p>"I would consider that," Murphy said, although he was lying through his teeth, because he knew he certainly wouldn't have bothered considering that under any circumstances, "but my ears are ringing, and the world is spinning a little, and like I said earlier my head hurts like a <em>bitch</em>, so now I'm thinking I'm probably concussed, which means I probably shouldn't fall asleep - "</p><p>"Actually, that's an old wives' tale - "</p><p>" - which means that, for the sake of my health, I <em>probably</em> shouldn't stop talking, because if I do, I might fall asleep," Murphy concluded. "And I don't take medical advice from kidnappers. So anyway, since you asked, it all started about a month ago - "</p><p>"I definitely did not ask," the guard complained under his breath.</p>
<hr/>
<h4>27 DAYS + 13 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>Aside from himself, the bed was empty when Murphy woke up. He had expected as much; over the past two months, Clarke had grown quite proficient at sneaking in and out of the cabin he shared with Monty and Harper without alerting either of them to her presence, and lately she usually managed to sneak out of his bed and out of his bedroom without even waking him up. Part of him missed seeing her in the mornings, which was frustratingly irrational of him. It wasn't like they were dating or anything, after all. In fact, logically, he should be happy about her increasing capacity for soundlessness, because Clarke often woke up at the crack of dawn, and Murphy liked to sleep in. Besides, the more quietly she left, the less likely it was that any of their friends would find out that they were sleeping together.</p><p>Murphy slipped out of bed, tossed on some clothes, and meandered blearily out of his bedroom, then stopped dead just beyond his doorway.</p><p>"Morning, Murphy," Monty chirped.</p><p>"Coffee?" Harper offered.</p><p>Several feet from Murphy, at the dining table, Monty and Harper sat on one side in front of what seemed like a full breakfast spread. Across from them, Clarke sat in the same clothes she'd worn yesterday, her cheeks vaguely flushed. An empty but clearly used dish sat in front of her.</p><p>...Okay. So much for hiding it from his roommates. Maybe he could still hide it from the rest of their family though....</p><p>"Sure, thanks," Murphy replied to Monty, slowly approaching the table and sliding into the seat beside Clarke.</p><p>"We decided to surprise Clarke with breakfast," Harper explained as Monty fixed up a cup of coffee. "We all know Clarke never remembers to eat when Madi's not around - "</p><p>"I do too!" Clarke protested.</p><p>"No, you don't," Monty and Harper answered in unison.</p><p>Clarke scowled. "...You two sound just like my mom," she muttered. She sounded so much like a kid in that moment that Murphy had to laugh. Of course, she swiftly redirected her scowl at him, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.</p><p>"Anyway," Harper continued, "at least we've taken care of one meal now, since Madi's still staying in Wonkru for a few days."</p><p>Murphy nodded in recognition; Madi had been spending one week with Abby and Kane in Wonkru territory every month to study under Gaia. About four months ago - right before Clarke and Madi had moved into Spacekru's little slice of territory in Eden - Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, and Indra had finally convinced Wonkru that they could give Madi a few years to receive the belated training and education that nightbloods were supposed to know well already by her age before making her head a permanent home for the Flame. All of them were optimistic, though, that Madi might never have to take up leadership again if she didn't want to. Wonkru was already thriving under Indra's leadership instead, so after several years of that, they might decide to keep her in charge rather than transfer power to a teenager. Still, it was best for Madi to keep up appearances by learning from Gaia.</p><p>"We figured Clarke could use extra fuel today anyway," Harper added, "since she and Bellamy are heading out to Wonkru today for their monthly check-in with Indra and Diyoza on Spacekru's behalf."</p><p>"You might want to try and negotiate a deal for more wood," Monty advised. "That cabin we're building is almost finished - <em>finally</em> - but our wood supplies are looking a little short, and I'm worried about using up too many of the trees around here too fast, especially since no one's sure what the weather will be like once we're deeper into winter, considering Praimfaya and everything."</p><p>"And these two are desperate to get me out of their house before spring," Murphy contributed.</p><p>"No!" Monty objected. "Well..., not... <em>desperate</em>...."</p><p>"Hey, I'll be just as happy to have my own space," Murphy assured her. "Mostly my own, anyway. And I'm sure Clarke and Madi want Bellamy out of their space too so they can have their own rooms." Murphy and Bellamy were the intended inhabitants of the fourth cabin of Spacekru's territory, since Raven and Echo seemed perfectly comfortable occupying the same bedroom at their place with Emori for the time being.</p><p>"Of course. It's definitely a priority for Clarke to have her own bedroom," Harper agreed, smirking at him.</p><p>Murphy's first instinct was to deflect that line of conversation as fast as he could, but then he remembered that she and Monty must have known about his... thing with Clarke in order to make breakfast for her before she was out the door that morning. In fact... "So out of curiosity, how long have you two, y'know, known?"</p><p>"Two months," Monty answered promptly.</p><p>"Two - ? Two months?!" Murphy spluttered. "But - That's - "</p><p>"Wow," Harper teased, drawing out the single syllable, "you two really did think you were being subtle? Both of you?"</p><p>"...Yes?" Murphy said once he'd composed himself. He glanced at Clarke, but she seemed self-deprecatingly resigned in a way that made him think she'd already had this conversation with them.</p><p>Monty snorted. "No offense, but for two people who've spent nearly all of your time on the ground lying to stay alive, you two are really, really bad at hiding things."</p><p>"Maybe we've gotten complacent after six months of peacetime," Clarke mused. She didn't sound too unhappy about that, though, and Murphy could see the appeal in that concept, but...</p><p>"Knowing us, I think we're overdue for some kind of diplomatic incident," he pointed out wryly. "Or a natural disaster. Or maybe a - " Murphy cut himself off, then, wide-eyed, but no one noticed, for they were all staring, wide-eyed, at the same thing: Harper, who was applying peanut butter to her eggs.</p><p>Harper blinked, startled by the sudden attention, then looked down at her food, then back up. "I know," she said, a little sheepish. "I don't know why, but I woke up craving this." Everyone watched in horrified fascination as she speared a bite on her fork and delivered it to her mouth. "...What?" she said around a mouthful of eggs and peanut butter. "It's actually pretty good."</p><p>She speared another bite and offered it to Monty, who said politely, "NO, THANKS. I'M GOOD."</p><p>Before Harper had the chance to offer it to anyone else, the conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" Monty volunteered, launching himself from the table and practically tripping over his feet in his rush to answer the door. Murphy exchanged bewildered looks with Clarke.</p><p>"Hey, guys!" Bellamy greeted them as he stepped inside. He nodded to Clarke, adding, "Thought I'd find you here since you weren't home."</p><p>Murphy resisted the urge to slam his own face into the table. <em>Everyone really does know, huh?</em> he thought ruefully. By the look on her face, Murphy inferred that Clarke was thinking something similar.</p><p>"We're having breakfast," Harper said by way of greeting. "Want some before you and Clarke head out?"</p><p>"No thanks, I'm..." Bellamy trailed off, his gaze landing on Harper's dish. Looking vaguely ill, he slowly finished, "I'm... good...."</p><p>Clarke laughed. "Good answer." She started to stand, then paused, looking back at Murphy. Murphy understood her hesitation; it had been a while since they had to deal with a 'morning-after' situation, and they'd certainly never had to deal with one in front of an audience.</p><p>"I'll see you tomorrow?" he supplied. He winced internally at the unintentional uncertainty in his voice.</p><p>Clarke didn't seem to notice, though. "Sure thing," she said back, grinning. She stood. "Thanks for breakfast, guys!"</p><p>Monty and Harper said goodbye, and then she and Bellamy were gone. As soon as they were a reasonable distance away, Monty returned to his seat next to Harper, and the two of them fixed him with freakishly identical, penetrating stares. "So what's up with you and Clarke?"</p><p>Murphy raised an eyebrow. "We're... sleeping together? I thought you guys, y'know, picked up on that?"</p><p>"But you have feelings for her," Harper pointed out matter-of-factly.</p><p>Murphy blanched. "I <em>do not</em>."</p><p>"Yes, you do," Harper emphasized. "I know you do, Murphy, because you literally told Monty and me that you did when you were drunk. That was three months ago. And it doesn't matter, anyway, because all of us already knew that, like, a month before then."</p><p>"You couldn't have," Murphy protested. "I didn't even - " He broke off, registering something more important. "Wait. 'All of us?' Who's 'all of us?'"</p><p>Harper looked a little panicked, then, like she hadn't meant to say that. "Well..., uh..., me, Monty, Bellamy, Raven, Echo, and Emori?"</p><p>In the dumbfounded silence that ensued, Monty added helpfully, "And Madi, we think, but she hasn't said anything yet. And maybe Miller, and maybe Octavia, and maybe Jackson, and... maybe Abby and Kane."</p><p>"Wait a second." Murphy held up his hand, trying to come to terms with the vast amount of alarming information that had just been relayed to him. Of course, there was one especially alarming tidbit and there, and the fact that it <em>wasn't</em> Abby knowing - er, mistakenly believing that he was romantically interested in her daughter spoke volumes. "You said you only 'think' Madi knows because she hasn't said anything, so, what, are the rest of you just... talking about it?"</p><p>Both of them paled, which answered his question thoroughly enough.</p>
<hr/>
<h4>1 DAY + 1.5 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>"So if you think about it, it's actually all Monty and Harper's fault that I'm in this mess."</p><p>"Yeah, I'm not following your logic here," Guard Man said. "How did any of that have anything to do with where you are now?"</p><p>Murphy frowned. "It's because Monty and Harper knew. Because they told me that everyone knew..." He trailed off, trying to figure out where his explanation went wrong.</p><p>Guard Man snorted at his puzzled silence. "Man, you really are concussed."</p><p>"No, you know what, you just don't understand because you need more context," Murphy decided. "Okay, so later that day - "</p><p>"Wait, no, this isn't what I meant - !"</p>
<hr/>
<h4>26 DAYS + 2 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>"Yeeeaaah, you definitely don't like her or anything," Raven drawled, crossing her arms as she leaned in the doorway. "Not at all."</p><p>"Well, I'm glad we're all on the same page," Murphy responded. He meant it to sound sarcastic, but he wasn't sure if he'd succeeded; he was distracted by his efforts to pour just the right amount of sugar into his mixing bowl. Once he was finished pouring, he set the sugar aside and turned to her. "It's not like I'm making this just for Clarke. I mean, it's for Bellamy, too, and they’ll probably save some for Madi for when she gets back….”</p><p>"Uh-huh." Raven nodded sagely. "That's why you've got those strawberries out. Because you're making strawberry shortcake, right? Which is... Clarke's favorite dessert. Which is obviously a coincidence. You just happened to be in the mood for strawberry shortcake tonight, right?"</p><p>Murphy scowled, setting about stirring the mixture in the bowl at an aggressive pace. "Okay, fine, sue me. Miller radioed and said that meetings were running later than usual and that she - <em>and Bellamy</em> - would be home late, and that they ended up practically skipping dinner, so I figured I would fix dessert for her <em>and Bellamy</em>, and yeah, I figured it would be a nice touch if it was Clarke's favorite. So, sorry for doing something nice for our friends, I guess."</p><p>"Good God, Murphy, what crawled up your ass and died?" Raven exclaimed, sounding a little irritated but mostly baffled. "I'm just teasing you, man, I wasn't saying there was anything... <em>bad</em> about... Okay, do you wanna maybe give that whatever-you're-making a break before you beat it to death?"</p><p>Murphy started, looked down at the bowl, and realized he had stirred it maybe a little too hard, and maybe a little too fast, and maybe a little too much, in general. Sighing, he stepped back from the kitchen area and dropped into a chair from the dining area, acknowledging to himself that he had been unnecessarily bitchy towards Raven. "Whipped cream," he muttered. "It's supposed to be whipped cream.... Look, I'm not doing it to, I don't know, score points with her or something, alright?"</p><p>"I believe you," Raven said, sitting down across from him, "but for the record, it's not like there would be anything wrong with that."</p><p>She still sounded baffled. Murphy rubbed his face tiredly. He could already tell that this was going to be an aggravating conversation. "Except that it's basically pointless."</p><p>Raven stared blankly at him. "Yeah, you're gonna have to explain your logic on that one."</p><p>"Apparently all of you have known this whole time that I was into Clarke. I mean, into more than just sleeping with her. So if all of you know, don't you think she probably knows too?"</p><p>Raven blinked. "Well - I - "</p><p>"So if she... If there was... If I could - " Murphy swallowed the myriad of disjointed thoughts that were attempting to pour out of him all at once and composed himself before finishing shortly, "Obviously she's not interested in me like that, or she would have said something by now. It's that simple."</p><p>Raven stared at him in disbelief for a few moments, then spluttered at him for a few moments, then said incredulously, "That's what you've decided?"</p><p>Murphy's temper flared at her choice of words. "No, Raven, I didn't 'decide' that," he snapped, pushing himself up from his chair and returning to the mixing bowl. The whipped cream had indeed been just a touch too thoroughly trounced, but it was serviceable all the same. "I just figured it out. Whatever there is here that's more than friendship - more than sex - it's one-sided. So I'm gonna do the smart thing for once in my life, and I'm gonna be happy with what I have, and I'm not gonna mess things up by trying to have more."</p><p>The silence that followed his conclusion was so thick that it was practically tangible, and he felt it weighing on his arms and legs as he moved towards the rudimentary hearth to check on the biscuits that were hopefully baking within. Clarke's home was, in fact, the only one in Spacekru territory that housed any fireplace worthy of being called a hearth at all, courtesy of the loyalists in Wonkru who expected Madi to take her place as Heda within a few years. The rest of the cabins had primitive fireplaces that were fit only for basic cooking. That was why Murphy, and now Raven, were in Clarke's cabin instead of Murphy's own. Murphy wasn't complaining; it had made quite the convenient excuse for visiting Clarke over the past four months of experimenting with the recipes that Raven, Monty, and Shaw had managed to recover from Arkadia's weathered databases.</p><p>After several moments, Murphy heard a heavy sigh from his companion as she stood and joined him. "You need some of these cleaned, right?" she said, gesturing to the dirty dishes that had amassed within Murphy's workspace. "Here. I'll take care of 'em. You worry about the food."</p><p>"...Thanks,'" Murphy muttered, pushing some dishes towards her.</p><p>They worked in silence for a handful of seconds. Then Raven blurted out, "Look, I realize you don't want to talk about it, okay, and I swear I'm gonna respect that even if I think it's stupid, but - can I just say one thing, first? One thing?"</p><p>Murphy side-eyed her warily, but nodded.</p><p>"Even if she's not interested in you - and to clarify, I absolutely think you're way off-base there, but let's just say you're right - even then, that doesn't mean it's pointless to try. I mean, there's always a chance she'll change her mind. There's always a chance <em>you'll</em> change her mind. Crap like this, for example, is actually a good place to start. Just… Just try, alright? Or at least think about it.”</p><p>Murphy agreed to consider it. He supposed she had a point, but he couldn’t find it in himself to fully agree with her.</p>
<hr/><p>Some time later, Murphy and Raven were arguing over whether or not to jot Raven’s name down on the note they were leaving with the dessert (Murphy didn’t want full credit for the cake because that would be incredibly obvious, but Raven kept insisting that that was the whole point of the endeavor) when they heard Wonkru's rover approaching. Raven frowned. “Didn’t they take a pair of horses out to Wonkru yesterday?” she asked. “What’s the rover doing here?”</p><p>Murphy followed her out of the cabin to see Clarke slipping out of the driver’s seat. “Hey guys!” she greeted them, remarkably high-spirited for someone who had just spent more than a day meeting with the leaders of Wonkru and Eligius discussing trade and… other diplomatic, political things. Actually, Murphy didn’t have the slightest clue what they discussed in those monthly meetings. He would have been inclined to assume something had gone horribly wrong since last month to have merited the length of her trip to Wonkru, but that wouldn’t have accounted for Clarke’s jovial energy. Maybe she was just happy to be home?</p><p>“Hey, Clarke, what was up with the length of the meetings today?” Emori called out to her as she stepped out from her cabin, Echo close behind. “And… where’s Bellamy?”</p><p>“Bellamy’s spending a few weeks in Wonkru teaching some of the earthborn Wonkru members how to use a gun,” Clarke explained, “as per our deal to get extra wood for the cabin.” She gestured to the rover. “It’s all in there.”</p><p>“Oh, cool! You got it!” Monty exclaimed, for he and Harper had also exited their cabin to greet Clarke. “That… isn’t why you got here so late, is it?” He frowned.</p><p>Clarke looked around at all of them. “I was going to tell you all tomorrow, but if you’re all awake anyway…, wanna hear the news?” She was positively glowing with excitement, and Murphy felt his lips curl into a soft smile despite himself.</p><p>“Sounds good!” Raven chirped. She nudged Murphy with her elbow, adding smugly, “Murphy made cake, by the way. Strawberry shortcake.”</p><p>The smile slid right off Murphy’s face, replaced by a carefully blank expression. He willed himself not to turn red or scowl at Raven or do anything else that might give him away. For the most part, he thought he was pretty successful. Step two was to find a way to spin this as being because… well, because of just about literally any reason other than the reason he had made the damn cake. That was a bit harder.</p><p>Although…, was it just his imagination, or was Clarke a bit flushed herself now?</p><p>And if she was…, maybe he shouldn’t hide the real reason after all?</p><p>“What can I say?” Murphy shrugged with forced offhandedness. “Just doing my part to support Spacekru’s very own Heda.” There, that was perfectly casual without eliminating the possibility that he’d had ulterior motives.</p><p>Clarke beamed at him. “Thanks, Murphy.” She strode towards her cabin and pulled him into a brief one-armed hug before passing by him and Raven.</p><p>Within a few short minutes, all seven of them were seated around the dining table in Clarke’s cabin, each of them equipped with slices of cake that Clarke had generously donated to the impromptu late-night hangout. “So what’s this news that kept you and Bellamy in meetings for two full days?” Emori asked.</p><p>“And is apparently <em>good</em> news?” Echo added, voice laden with skepticism that was, in Murphy’s opinion, well-deserved; though things had been running astonishingly smoothly since the two warring groups (three, if you counted Spacekru) had established peace, every single experience he’d had between that peace and his arrival on the ground seven or eight years ago in the first place had taught him that things never stayed so good for too long.</p><p>Clarke laughed at Echo’s tone. “Well, that depends on how the next month goes, but I think it will be! Diyoza mentioned yesterday that the new year should be coming up sometime soon, and it occurred to us that the start of the new year is apparently a holiday that the Ark, the Grounders, and Eligius all observe, and after we talked for a while we realized that a lot of our traditions are actually pretty similar or even the same, so we’re throwing a joint celebration in about a month.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s awesome!” Monty cheered. “New Year’s is the best. Jasper and I used to make moonshine and noisemakers every year back on the Ark.”</p><p>Murphy wrinkled his nose. “That was you two? God, those noisemakers annoyed the hell out of me. Every time New Year’s Eve rolled around, somehow <em>everyone in my class</em> ended up with them. I couldn’t get away from them.”</p><p>Monty grinned at him. The mischievous gleam in his eyes was setting off alarm bells in Murphy’s head.</p><p>“You better keep your noisemaking to a minimum in the house,” Murphy warned, and it was a testament to the urgency of his imperative that he did not make an innuendo out of the warning.</p><p>Monty continued grinning wordlessly.</p><p>“Monty, I swear to God, you’re gonna regret it if you don’t.”</p><p>More grinning.</p><p>“<em>Monty</em>.”</p><p>“Regardless of what you use the noisemakers for in the meantime,” Clarke interjected, eyes shining with mirth, “if you wouldn’t mind writing out the instructions for making them, I could distribute those instructions in Wonkru and Eligius, and we can have one team gathering materials and another team building them.”</p><p>“Two whole teams of people for noisemakers?” Raven remarked, amused. “Isn’t that a little excessive?”</p><p>“Small teams,” Clarke elaborated. “Only ten people or so per team…. I mean, we’re throwing a party for fifteen hundred people. Gotta have a lot of noisemakers, right?”</p><p>“Couldn’t agree more.” That insufferable grin was still plastered on Monty’s face.</p><p>“Diyoza said that Eligius will take care of the moonshine if Wonkru takes care of the food. Apparently collard greens and rutabagas are traditional, but anything green and anything gold will do in a pinch, and any meat works as long as long it’s not poultry or fish.”</p><p>“So what are we contributing?” Emori questioned. “Other than Monty’s apparently famous noisemakers, of course.”</p><p>Clarke’s enthusiasm dimmed minutely. “Well, the original plan was for Bellamy and me to head back out in three days to take over planning the party. Of course, that was before Bellamy was reassigned to teaching for a few weeks, so now it’s just me. But I’m sure it’ll be fine!” she added hastily at the concerned mood that fell over them. “I mean, I’ve planned out entire wars. How hard can a party be?”</p><p>Murphy would like to say that his next few seconds of silence were spent mulling over the idea of what he was about to propose. In reality, though, he was so far gone over her that the question was not of whether to propose it, but how to propose it with maximum nonchalance. “I’ve finished up most of my work for the week, right?” he checked with Echo, who kept track of the group’s weekly workload between agriculture, construction, diplomacy, engineering, and favors to Wonkru and Eligius in exchange for the supplies they needed that they couldn’t get on their own.</p><p>Echo shot him a shrewd, amused look, but all she said was, “Yep, you’re pretty much done.”</p><p>“Think I can squeeze all of next week’s work into the next three days?”</p><p>“Might be tiring, but that sounds perfectly feasible to me.”</p><p>“Great. Then maybe I can leave with Clarke, spend two weeks out there helping out, and come back to fit the following two weeks’ work into one week….”</p><p>“Hang on – Murphy, that’s – Believe me, I appreciate the offer, but that’s really not necessary,” Clarke protested. “You really want to do all your usual work <em>and</em> help me with my crap? That’s too much.”</p><p>“You’re right, it is too much,” Harper agreed, jostling Murphy’s shoulder. For a second, Murphy thought he had been horribly, horribly betrayed, sabotaged by someone who had just that day claimed to be on his side. Then she continued, “Don’t worry about the work, Murphy, just help Clarke out, alright?”</p><p>Murphy blinked. “Seriously?” He looked around at his friends, and they were all nodding. “Well, shit, I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Sounds good to me.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Clarke pressed. “Planning a party is going to be a lot more boring than farming or building. It’ll be mostly meetings. Don’t underestimate how dry some of those meetings can be.”</p><p>“I’m sure, Clarke,” Murphy affirmed. “Besides, have you ever even <em>been</em> to a party? <em>Not</em> counting whatever passed for a party back on the Ark when you knew, like, exactly one person.”</p><p>“I had other friends!”</p><p>“Outside of school?”</p><p>“…No.”</p><p>“Did you have parties with them?”</p><p>“…We used to study together?”</p><p>Murphy raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Murphy, you’ve never been to a party either!” Harper exclaimed. “You’ve been a self-designated social outcast for the entire time I’ve known you, and that includes time on the Ark.”</p><p>“Hey, getting drunk with the other hopeless dregs of society still counts for more than Clarke’s study sessions,” Murphy defended himself.</p><p>“Do you not want Murphy to join you?” Raven challenged.</p><p>“What? No, of course I do!” Clarke protested, flabbergasted. She paused, cheeks pinkening slightly. “It’s not about that, it’s about – “</p><p>“ – your compulsive need to martyr yourself at every turn?” Raven finished innocently.</p><p>Emori clapped her on the shoulder. “Not this time, Clarke.”</p>
<hr/>
<h4>1 DAY + 1 HOUR BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>“So you see, if Monty and Harper hadn’t let on that everyone knew about my thing with Clarke, and if Raven hadn’t pushed me to go after Clarke, I wouldn’t have gone with her to Wonkru,” Murphy concluded triumphantly. “So it’s actually the fault of all three of them.” He was certain that that anecdote had gotten his point across. At the unchanged confusion on the guard’s face, however, Murphy realized he was wrong. His own face fell. “What? What’s the problem now? Why don’t you get it, Guard Man?”</p><p>“Well, first of all, my name is Barry,” Guard Man said. “Secondly, it doesn’t sound like you actually put any thought into whether or not you should go with her. It sounds like you pretty much decided that by instinct. Which means it’s no one’s fault other than your own that you went. Third, I’m still not seeing what any of that had to do with you getting kidnapped?”</p><p>“Okay, now you’re being intentionally dense,” Murphy declared. “I wouldn’t have been anywhere near anyone from Eligius until this past week if I hadn’t helped Clarke plan the party!”</p><p>Barry frowned. “…So?”</p><p>“Geez, you’re really going to make me explain all of it, aren’t you?”</p><p>“For the love of God, I am so sick of having crazy people explaining their convoluted relationship problems to me….”</p>
<hr/>
<h4>22 DAYS + 12 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>Monty did not, in fact, keep the noisemaking in the house to a minimum. Murphy really wished that was an innuendo; that would have been less aggravating. Regrettably, Murphy was a 'good person' now, or something like that, so he couldn't threaten Monty with physical violence or anything like that. Thankfully, he still had his... creativity to fall back on.</p><p>"<em>What</em> did you <em>draw</em> these with?" Monty hissed, scrubbing furiously at one of the many penises that Murphy had sketched on his face while he slept.</p><p>"Waterproof eyeliner," Murphy chirped smugly. "Raven uses it to write notes on her arms when she needs them to last for more than a day."</p><p>Monty paused to turn away from the mirror and stare at him in disbelief. "<em>Waterproof</em>? But - Then - How am I supposed to get it off?!"</p><p>"That's what she said," Murphy supplied. "Also, I don't have a clue. Good luck figuring it out, though!"</p><p>"<em>I am going to get you for this.</em>"</p><p>Harper entered the cabin then, carrying a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables. She stopped dead in the doorway when she laid eyes on Monty's face.</p><p>"And you!" Monty exclaimed, jabbing a finger in her direction in mock outrage. "Where were you when Murphy defiled my face like this? I thought you were getting up early today?"</p><p>Wordlessly, Harper gestured to her basket.</p><p>Monty deflated. "...Oh."</p><p>Harper carefully set the basket down on a nearby table. Then she burst into laughter, doubling over and beating on her knees with her fists.</p><p>"Oh, great, laugh it up," Monty snarked, casting one last sour glance first her way, then Murphy's, before returning to his work.</p><p>"You fit - so - many!" Harper gasped about between bouts of laughter. "How did you fit so many on his face? I counted at least a dozen!"</p><p>“Two dozen,” Murphy bragged. “I kept track.”</p><p>“You two suck,” Monty complained. “I can’t believe you snuck all the way over here from Clarke’s place just to draw on my freaking face at the crack of dawn.”</p><p>“I can’t believe anything got him to leave Clarke’s place at all,” Harper added slyly.</p><p>Murphy flushed. It was true that he hadn’t left Clarke’s place much at all over the past few days. It was so convenient with both Bellamy and Madi in Wonkru, and there seemed to be very little point in leaving first thing in the morning when there was no one to hide from, and even during the day while Clarke was preemptively writing up her plans for the party, Murphy found himself cooking breakfast and lunch and dinner and dessert for the two of them, and by the time night rolled around he couldn’t find a reason not to fall into bed with her again….</p><p>“Whatever,” he grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets.</p><p>“Uh-oh, I think we embarrassed him,” Monty stage-whispered to Harper.</p><p>“You know what? I don’t have to take this. I have places to be – “ Murphy realized his error as soon as the words left his mouth. Monty and Harper did not have to say or do a thing other than raise their eyebrows at him, and there was really no defending himself. “Okay, well, I <em>was</em> going to tell you how to wash that eyeliner off – “</p><p>“No, you weren’t!” Monty countered heatedly.</p><p>“ – but if <em>that’s</em> how it’s gonna be – “</p><p>“You drew <em>two dozen penises</em> on my <em>face</em>!”</p><p>“ – then I’m outta here. See you, losers.”</p><p>Murphy left Monty to his irritable grumbling and Harper to her snickering, making his way out of his cabin and, as the two of them had just implied with their facial expressions alone, to Clarke’s cabin.</p>
<hr/><p>“Ready to go?”</p><p>“Yep. Just let me check my bag one last time….” Murphy rummaged through his pack for a few seconds, then grimaced. “Damn it. Hairbrush is missing. I must’ve left it at my place. Hang on, I’ll be right back – “</p><p>“I’ll go with you,” Clarke said brightly. “Come to think of it, Harper was complaining about nausea earlier, and I wanted to stop by and give her some advice before we left anyway….”</p><p>The door was ajar when they approached, which struck Murphy as odd, but not unreasonably so. As Clarke pushed the door further open and stepped inside, Murphy saw movement above her head just a heartbeat too late -</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>SPLASH!</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>THUD.</em>
</p><p>In the doorway of Murphy's cabin, Clarke stood, utterly still, soaked to the bone. A now-empty bucket rolled across the floor. It was the only noise to be heard. Just beyond the doorway, Monty and Harper stood, both of them ashen.</p><p>Dead silence hung over the group as Clarke looked slowly to the top of the door, to her clothes, to Monty, to Harper, and then to the bucket. Murphy gingerly inched forward and to the side so that he could see everyone's faces a bit better. Harper looked alarmed; Monty looked downright panicked; Clarke looked more baffled than anything else, like her brain was still playing catch-up with the sequence of events that had led her to be standing in the doorway, soaked. Murphy, for his part, was so stunned that he couldn't even start laughing despite the objectively hysterical scene before him. <em>Good thing, too; if she turns out to be upset by this, laughing at her will probably not keep me on her good side,</em> he reflected, and ironically, that was the thought that jarred him out of his stupor and uncorked the torrent of laugher that had been bottled up inside him seconds ago.</p><p>Clarke gave him a dirty look, but there were no genuinely negative feelings in her gaze. On the contrary, she seemed to be holding in laughter of her own, lurking just beneath her faux-irritated visage.</p><p>As if Murphy's own laughter had broken the spell, Monty suddenly blurted out in a rush, "That was - That was for Murphy! That definitely, definitely <em>definitely</em> wasn't for you, Clarke, I swear! It was for Murphy!"</p><p>Clarke turned back to him, her expression perfectly unreadable now. "Sure, Monty," she replied tonelessly.</p><p>"...It was Harper's idea!"</p><p>"<em>Monty</em>!" Harper hissed at him, punching his arm lightly, but by now she was laughing too hard to put any heat behind it.</p><p>“No harm done,” Clarke said, her voice rather unsettlingly pleasant.</p><p>“Pranking the Commander of Death,” Murphy mused, suddenly feeling incredibly smug. “Not your brightest idea, guys.”</p><p>“Hang on, it <em>absolutely does not count</em> if you’re not the intended target!” Monty protested. “Right? Right?!”</p><p>“Of course,” Clarke agreed.</p><p>Monty did not look reassured.</p><p>While Clarke begrudgingly consulted with Harper, Murphy retrieved his hairbrush from where Monty, as it turned out, had stashed it away in the hopes of luring Murphy into his trap. Then they said their goodbyes, loaded themselves into the rover (which was now devoid of wood, courtesy of everyone’s efforts over the days following Clarke’s return), and took off towards Wonkru.</p><p>"Murphy, you haven't tried baking donuts yet, right?" Clarke asked, seemingly out of nowhere.</p><p>Murphy blinked. "Uh, no, not yet." He cast a glance her way in an attempt to silently derive the purpose behind the question. "...Can't be too hard, though.... Why?"</p><p>Clarke hummed. "I was thinking that maybe next time Shaw takes a trip out to Spacekru, he can deliver some cream-filled donuts from us to Monty and Harper. Only, instead of cream filling, maybe we could try, I don't know, mayonnaise."</p><p>A grin spread across Murphy's face. "I like the way you think."</p><p>As Clarke drove them away from Spacekru, Murphy found himself scrutinizing her. Despite the tasks ahead of them, she seemed utterly unburdened. In fact, she had seemed impossibly lighter than usual since she had returned from the monthly check-in. "So why is this so important to you?" he inquired. "I know it can't be the party itself that you're so excited about, so what is it?"</p><p>Clarke sighed, drumming her fingers along the steering wheel thoughtfully. "...It's going to sound silly."</p><p>Murphy glanced curiously at her. 'Silly' was far from the list of words he might have used to describe Clarke Griffin or any part of her at any point since that first month the 100 had spent on Earth. "Try me."</p><p>Clarke shot him a lopsided smile, a smile full of uncertainty and trepidation and hope. "I just... We've been through a lot the past few years, you know?"</p><p>"Sure," Murphy agreed, his interest well and truly piqued now.</p><p>"And until now, we haven't had anything to show for it besides our continued survival," Clarke went on, a little bitterly.</p><p>Murphy hummed.</p><p>"But the thing is, I always thought that someday we would have real, lasting peace...." Clarke trailed off, staring at the road ahead pensively, almost sadly. She shook her head briefly before continuing, "That's what I was fighting for, for a long time. But somewhere in all that, I think I must have given up on all that. At some point, I wasn't fighting for peace anymore. I was just fighting to stay alive. To keep alive as many people as I could. But now, all of a sudden, I can - I can <em>see</em> it again. It's right there, just within reach. Peace. Real peace. Maybe even lasting peace.</p><p>"And - I don't know, maybe this is just me looking too closely, but - you know, no one actually knows when the New Year is. All we really know is that it's eleven days after the winter solstice, and we don't even know for sure when <em>that</em> is. And we looked at the sky one day and said, 'Yeah, it's about noon right now,' and based our clocks on that, but it's not like we could really say for sure what time it was.</p><p>"So if you think about it, the entire celebration is completely arbitrary." Despite her initial assertion that these thoughts were 'silly,' Clarke now seemed to be on quite the roll, growing more and more passionate as she elaborated on those thoughts. "We don't have to celebrate this holiday, you know? It's not like we've celebrated any other holiday on this godforsaken planet. Everyone, from Wonkru to Eligius to outliers like us, is <em>choosing</em> to celebrate the New Year. It's a holiday we've chosen, on a day we've chosen, at a time we've chosen. Doesn't that... mean something?"</p><p>It took Murphy a few moments to think about his answer, because up until that moment, he had really just been thinking of this as some random party that was making Clarke happy, if a tad stressed. As it turned out, however, Clarke seemed to have intended it as a rhetorical question, for she took no more than the time needed to breathe before speaking again. "New Year's Eve has always been for starting over. I guess..., for the first time in a long, long time, I'm starting to think that maybe we get to start over. Maybe we've finally earned that. We've done awful, inhumane things, all of us, but we finally managed to make and <em>keep</em> peace. That's gotta be worth something. It <em>has to be</em>.</p><p>"And Madi deserves to be happy. And Mom and Kane deserve to be happy. And you deserve to be happy. All of you."</p><p>Murphy waited a beat, then corrected, "All of <em>us</em>."</p><p>Clarke smiled. "I don't know about that," she admitted. "But... it means a lot to me that you think so." She glanced questioningly at him. "What do you think? Am I reading too much into this?"</p><p>Part of him did think so, but at the same time... "I think if that's what you think it means, then you can make it mean that," Murphy replied honestly. "Even if I didn't think that in general, I would definitely think that about you - and not just because you're the one planning it," he joked. "Seriously, though, Clarke, I do think that if we want it to be, this could be a turning point for us, and by 'us,' I mean the whole damn human race. And if you choose to start over, you know I'll be right there with you. We all will be.”</p>
<hr/><p>The others in Spacekru who traveled more often than Murphy always said that Wonkru was a lot closer than it seemed, but he was still surprised by how short the trip was. Soon enough they were well into Wonkru’s domain, though still a small distance from their ultimate destination, the little slice of territory close to Eligius which was known simply as the capital, although some had affectionately nicknamed it New TonDC. Since they were going through populated areas, they were driving slowly enough now that Murphy could get a full view of the environment, and he appreciated it. It had been at least a season since he had been in Wonkru at all, and he was impressed by the level of development they had achieved in that time. Already there were acres upon acres of thriving farmland, and herds of livestock loosely fenced in, and little groups of children of varying ages being taught fighting and weaving and even engineering. One such group dropped what they were doing as soon as the rover came into view, much to their instructors’ visible ire, and ran over to wave vigorously as they passed (“Some of Madi’s classmates,” Clarke explained, waving back).</p><p>More and more, Murphy could see exactly what Clarke had been talking about earlier. It didn’t look like Trikru, Skaikru, Azgeda, and all the other clans trying to live together. It just looked like… people, relearning how to live at all. It looked like a fresh start, for all of them.</p><p>When they reached New TonDC, they were greeted by Bellamy, Miller, Jackson, and an unexpected addition. “Clarke!” Madi cried, darting towards them and lunging for Clarke as soon as the elder Griffin was out of the vehicle.</p><p>“Oh! Hi, Madi!” Clarke wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Did Mom bring you?” Abby and Kane did not live too close to the capital. Rather, they lived on the outskirts of Wonkru, close enough to Gaia’s remote home that Madi could easily get back and forth, and close enough to Eligius that Abby could easily cross the border to use their medical equipment. In all actuality, Madi was perfectly capable of making the trip across Wonkru by herself in broad daylight, but Clarke was still a little paranoid about Madi being on her own. To her credit, Madi handled Clarke’s overprotectiveness with remarkable maturity and patience.</p><p>“Bellamy picked me up so I could see you,” Madi answered. “Actually… Remember that Octavia said I could stay with her whenever I ever needed to?”</p><p>…Murphy had been present for that offer. It had been way back before Clarke and Madi had moved out of Wonkru at all, and it had very clearly been an offer for emergencies, not for social visits. That wasn’t to say Octavia wouldn’t be perfectly happy to host Madi, of course. From what Murphy understood, Octavia and Madi had gotten on like a house on fire… once they’d overcome that minor obstacle of Octavia’s near-attempt on Clarke’s life, and also Clarke’s near-attempt on Octavia’s life, and also Octavia’s attempt on Clarke’s and Madi’s lives, and also Clarke’s brief assistance in Eligius’s mission to exterminate Octavia and her people.</p><p>It had been quite the endeavor for everyone to recover from all the bridges that had been burned by the end of the war, but within a month, Clarke, Bellamy, and Octavia had agreed to forgive each other for the extenuating circumstances under which all the betrayals had occurred. Spacekru, as well as Octavia’s (or rather, Blodreina’s) inner circle, had followed their lead. Nowadays Clarke had gotten around to speaking of Octavia with the same fondness she used to. However, that didn’t mean Clarke would be comfortable with Madi spending the night at Octavia’s house.</p><p>There was a second problem, too, though it was infinitely smaller; Clarke had already arranged with Octavia to stay in the latter’s spare bedroom while she was planning the New Year’s Eve party. There were tents available for guests who stayed in Wonkru’s capital, of course, but Clarke had opted not to take one of them since she would be staying for three weeks. Similarly, Murphy had been offered a room in Miller’s and Jackson’s home. He had half a mind to invite Clarke to stay in that room with him (he was sure Miller and Jackson wouldn’t mind) but… Was it appropriate to extend that kind of invitation right in front of Clarke’s kid? That was probably weird, right? More than that, though, would Clarke prefer to have the rooming situation as an excuse to deny Madi’s request?</p><p>Madi resolved the conundrum quite efficiently by turning to Murphy and adding imploringly, “You’re staying with Miller and Jackson, right? Would you mind if Clarke stayed in your room while you guys are planning the party?”</p><p>Well…, that definitely put the ball in Clarke’s court. Murphy had no options other than to answer, “That’s up to her, and them.”</p><p>“Fine with us,” Jackson put forth.</p><p>Clarke hesitated, glancing back and forth between Murphy and Madi, then relented, “If you ask Octavia and she says it’s okay, then it’s okay with me.”</p><p>“Yes!” Madi hugged Clarke a second time and bounced back. “Thank you, Clarke! I’m so glad you said that, because I already asked her and she said I could stay as long as I liked!"</p><p>Clarke shook her head ruefully. “Of course you did.”</p><p>As she turned to retrieve her bags from the car, Madi made eye contact with Murphy and winked exaggeratedly at him. Beside her, Bellamy witnessed the interaction and broke into a highly suspect coughing fit.</p><p>The six of them made quick work of unloading the rover. Then Miller and Jackson invited Bellamy and Madi to stay for dinner, so all six of them were soon seated in their dining room.</p><p>Partway through the meal, Miller teased Murphy, “So Clarke’s company pays for itself, obviously – “</p><p>“Obviously,” Clarke agreed.</p><p>“ – but we’re gonna have to figure out how to put you to work. I’m thinking maybe after shooting classes, you can go out and pick up all the bullet casings by hand? That’s really much more thorough than the metal detector and the magnet that Raven made.”</p><p>“I was going to recommend you use him in the farm as a scarecrow,” Bellamy suggested. “That’s what we do back in Spacekru.”</p><p>“Ha, ha.” Murphy rolled his eyes. “Well, if you’d rather keep me too busy to cook for you, I guess that’s your loss, but you’re missing out.” He spoke the final three syllables in a sing-song voice.</p><p>Jackson perked up abruptly. “Wait, I forgot that you could cook.”</p><p>“He can cook? This guy?” Miller jabbed a thumb in Murphy’s direction.</p><p>“No, he really does make great food,” Madi insisted.</p><p>“Thanks, Hobbit,” Murphy said appreciatively.</p><p>In response to the nickname, Madi lobbed a pea at Murphy’s head. Unfortunately, Bellamy leaned forward at just the wrong time, and the pea did not reach its destination, instead appearing to get lodged in Bellamy’s hair.</p><p>Bellamy just sighed.</p><p>“I guess we can put him to work in the kitchen,” Miller mused.</p><p>Jackson snorted. “Yeah, sure. What I was <em>actually</em> getting at, though, was that we still need someone to get the food part of the party sorted – ideally, someone mostly impartial between Wonkru and Eligius.”</p><p>Murphy frowned. “I mean, I don’t have a problem with that, but I did come out to help Clarke run everything….”</p><p>“It won’t take too much of your time,” Jackson persuaded him. “Just a day here and there out between the two territories.”</p><p>“What do you think?” Murphy addressed Clarke. “You’re the one running all this, after all.”</p><p>“I think you’re perfect for the job,” Clarke affirmed.</p><p>“He can cook? This guy?” Miller jabbed a thumb in Murphy’s direction.</p><p>“No, he really does make great food,” Madi insisted.</p><p>“Thanks, Hobbit,” Murphy said appreciatively.</p><p>In response to the nickname – </p><p>
  <em>(“Wait, wait – you said that part already.”)</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<h4>1 DAY + 0.5 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>Murphy frowned blearily, rubbing the exhaustion out of his eyes with his bound hands. “I did? Are you sure?”</p><p>“Positive,” Guard Man confirmed. “Just now.”</p><p>“That sounds fake,” Murphy replied skeptically. “What did I say after that, then?”</p><p>Guard Man sighed. “The kid threw a pea at you, it hit Bellamy, Jackson asked you to figure out the menu for the party, you asked Clarke, Clarke said yes.”</p><p>“Alright, I guess that checks out," Murphy decided. "So you get it now, right?”</p><p>“…Yep.”</p><p>Murphy scowled. “I can tell you’re lying, Guard Man – okay, I can’t keep calling you Guard Man. Do you have a name or something?”</p><p>“…Uh…, Barry…?”</p><p>“Right, well, Barry, I can tell you’re lying.”</p><p>Barry sighed heavily. “I can’t stop you from keeping going with the story, can I?”</p><p>“Nope!”</p><p>“Great. Just like before.”</p>
<hr/>
<h4>14 DAYS + 15 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>"So," Murphy said from the entrance to the cabin, with what he considered to be remarkable composure, "Monty and Harper are around."</p><p>Clarke glanced up at him, returned to the document on the dining table which she was contemplating, then did a double-take. Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, she slowly looked him up and down. Normally, Murphy would have found the attention flattering, but in his current state, covered in glue, feathers, and leaves, it was really just unfortunate.</p><p>"How the hell did they manage that?"</p><p>"You could sound a little less impressed," Murphy grumbled, but there was no heat behind it. "Anyway, trust me, you don't want to know. Just be on-guard. They know you were part of the donut thing, and I'm sure they're coming for you next."</p><p>Clarke laughed. "Duly noted. What are they doing in Wonkru, anyway?"</p><p>"Check-up." Murphy settled down into the chair across from Clarke. Miller and Jackson may not have appreciated him mucking up said chair, but they weren't around to reprimand him, so he could indulge himself in being a poor guest for a moment. Besides, if they wanted to continue reaping the culinary benefits of his presence in their home, they would just deal with it. "Harper hasn't been feeling well the past few days, so Abby's going to escort her and Monty to Eligius and give her a more thorough check-up than what she can do with Wonkru's equipment."</p><p>Clarke frowned. "You think Harper's still dealing with that nausea?"</p><p>Murphy shrugged. "Not sure. She and Monty didn't seem panicked or anything, though, so... it's probably nothing to worry about." Honestly, he didn't know what to think. He just hoped Harper wasn't downplaying whatever was wrong. Privately, he thought it would be just like this rotten universe to strike one of them with a serious illness two weeks before New Year's Eve, but if Clarke wasn't already thinking along those same lines, then there was no need to say as much. If Harper already had an appointment with Abby, there was nothing more to be done for the time being anyway. “Echo came with them to see Shaw about something, but they’re not heading out until tomorrow because the rover wasn’t agreeing with Harper’s stomach, so they all want to meet up for lunch. I told them I'd make something here and bring it over to the guest cabin they’re staying in around noon so that Miller and Jackson can have an afternoon to themselves. Sound good?"</p><p>As he spoke, he registered the alluring domesticity of the situation. Once, Murphy would have been horrified by it. Now, however, it just felt right - which was frankly a little scary in its own way, because Murphy had never expected to have any kind of domestic life, let alone to be happy with one. Not to mention the fact that this snapshot of domestic life would be end along with the year, because Murphy didn’t live with Clarke back in Spacekru, and soon he would be moving into the new cabin with Bellamy.</p><p>Oblivious to his incoming existential crisis, Clarke replied, "Yep, that sounds great. You might want to change beforehand, though."</p><p>Murphy grinned. "I guess I should probably get cleaned up first." As he stood up and headed for the bathroom, he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Care to join me? Miller and Jackson won't be home for a while...."</p><p>Clarke contemplated her document once again, then looked back up at him with a smirk. "I could use a break."</p>
<hr/><p>“Actually, Murphy, we’ve decided we don’t want you to move out at all,” Harper informed him around a mouthful of food. She swallowed and continued reasonably, “In fact, we think that you should live with us and cook for us forever. That seems like the most logical future.”</p><p>“No arguments,” Monty contributed. “Also, I’m calling dibs on all the leftovers from the party.”</p><p>“All the leftovers,” Echo repeated incredulously. “All the leftovers from a party that’s meant to feed fifteen hundred people. I don’t suppose it’s occurred to you that that might be, I don’t know, excessive?”</p><p>“Exactly,” Clarke concurred. “So… if <em>anyone’s</em> getting those leftovers, it’s me.” At the scathing look Murphy gave her, she amended, “Oh, and Murphy. Definitely Murphy.”</p><p>“I <em>suppose</em> I could be convinced to part with some of them,” Murphy suggested, “if only someone else were convinced to part with their instruments of torture – “</p><p>“I’m keeping the noisemakers,” Monty asserted.</p><p>“Oh, come <em>on</em>. Even after the party? What, are you going to keep them year-round?”</p><p>Monty tilted his head thoughtfully.</p><p>“I’ll talk him down,” Harper promised. “…In exchange for the food, of course.”</p><p>“Maybe we can work out a deal,” Monty conceded. “Like, say, for every meal’s worth of food, I could guarantee you safety from the noisemakers for a full twenty….”</p><p>Monty fell silent as Clarke raised her mug of coffee to her lips to take her first sip of it. Murphy eyed Monty suspiciously, then looked back at Clarke. Her composure faltered as she tasted the coffee, but only very briefly. Expressionless, she slowly lowered the mug while maintaining eye contact with Monty. Then, almost challengingly, she raised the mug to take a second sip. Her composure did not falter again. She took a third sip -</p><p>"What the hell!" Monty burst out. "I put <em>so much</em> hot sauce in there! How are you still alive?!"</p><p>A smile crossed Clarke's face. She lifted the mug to her lips.</p><p>"No!" Monty reached across the table and snatched the mug from Clarke's hands, narrowly missing her clothes with the drops that sloshed over the rim. "Christ, it's killing me just to watch you keep drinking it. Just – stay here, I'm getting you another cup."</p><p>As Monty left the table, Clarke swiped Murphy's coffee and chugged it, then hastily returned it to Murphy's side of the table before Monty could see. Echo snorted, and Harper muffled a laugh with her hands.</p><p>“So what are your plans for the day?” Monty asked as he returned with Clarke’s new cup of coffee. “Any chance you’re free to hang out?”</p><p>“Unfortunately not,” Clarke replied. “This is one of the days Murphy is supposed to spend out in the neutral zone overseeing the food arrangements and everything, so I’m heading out with him to… check on some other things, too.”</p><p>“Other things.” Echo arched an eyebrow. “Very important things, I’m sure.”</p><p>“Very important,” Clarke confirmed serenely.</p><p>“What’s the neutral zone?” Harper asked.</p><p>“That’s where the party’s happening,” Clarke explained. “You know how we used to alternate our monthly check-ins between the outskirts of Wonkru and the outskirts of Eligius? Well, we realized that we needed a more permanent, neutral territory in between the two for the party, so we carved a space out. It’s right next to Mom’s place.”</p><p>“You two mind if I go with them and meet you there tomorrow?” Echo asked Monty and Harper. “Get a look at what they’re doing….”</p><p>Monty and Harper nodded emphatically. “Yeah, that’s totally cool, Echo,” Harper assented with excessive vehemence. “You should absolutely go with them. Get a headstart on your thing with Shaw.”</p>
<hr/><p>After lunch, Echo followed Clarke and Murphy to where they were supposed to meet Bellamy, who had business out in Eligius, so they could all three (four, now) get picked up by the driver and rover from Eligius. Once they were within sight of him, however, Echo pulled Murphy to a halt and said to Clarke, “Actually, I wanted to ask Murphy about something before we leave – we’ll catch up, okay?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>As Clarke went ahead to greet Bellamy, Murphy muttered to Echo, “Wow, that was really subtle, Echo. Impressive.”</p><p>“We are so far past subtlety,” Echo hissed. “<em>What</em> are you <em>doing</em>?”</p><p>Murphy was flummoxed. “Uh….”</p><p>“Why aren’t you dating Clarke yet?!”</p><p>“I – What – “</p><p>“We sent you out here for exactly one reason,” Echo continued, “and that was to ask Clarke out!”</p><p>“Wait – you guys didn’t <em>send</em> me – I’m not here for that, I’m here to help her!“</p><p>“Murphy,” Echo sighed exasperatedly. “If we were going to pick one person to drop their obligations this month and follow Clarke into this to <em>help</em> her, it would not have been you. I love you, but organization? Management? Not your strong suits.”</p><p>Murphy stared at her. “So… all of this is, what, an exercise in freaking matchmaking?”</p><p>Echo threw her hands in the air. “Pretty much!”</p><p>“Well, someone might have told me that!” Murphy contended defensively. “Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been a little busy doing what I <em>actually</em> came here to do; help Clarke plan a party for fifteen hundred people! And <em>also</em>, have any of you ever considered <em>minding your own damn business</em>? That is seriously the nosiest thing I’ve ever heard of – “</p><p>“You and Clarke were reaching emergency levels of stupidity,” Echo informed him curtly. “So we stepped in.” She took a deep breath, rubbing her temples, and said more patiently, “Why exactly haven’t you asked Clarke out yet?”</p><p>Murphy floundered for a few moments, then gave up and shrugged. “I don’t know.”</p><p>“Bullshit,” Echo countered calmly, crossing her arms.</p><p>“It’s – Well, look, it’s – I mean, does this really seem like the right time for me to be distracting her with something like that?” Murphy deflected.</p><p>Echo stared him down, unimpressed.</p><p>Undeterred, Murphy pressed onwards, “Besides, like I said, I’ve been busy – “</p><p>“Murphy,” Echo cut in. She stopped there, taking another deep breath. “…I realize I am not exactly warm and cuddly, but you’re my friend – my… family. I know something’s wrong. I want to help.”</p><p>…Dammit, Murphy was always so weak for heartfelt declarations of affection. He really needed to work on that.</p><p>With a deep breath of his own, Murphy searched for words that he could use without coming across as a gibbering, insecure mess. Unfortunately, he realized pretty fast that those words didn’t exist, because he kind of was an insecure mess right now, so he bit the bullet and admitted, “You pretty much just said it. If anyone is gonna be out here helping Clarke run shit, it shouldn’t be me. I’m not – I’m not good at any of this bullshit. The leadership, the diplomacy, the – the <em>politics</em>, Christ, people just talking in freaking circles all goddamn day, it drives me crazy! I’m not the person you want striking a deal, or inspiring people, or even just… planning a party.”</p><p>“And you see these inadequacies as… relevant?” Echo checked uncertainly.</p><p>Murphy winced internally at the word ‘inadequacies’ despite its accuracy. “Well, yeah? That’s, like, Clarke’s whole thing. If she’s gonna date someone, shouldn’t it be someone who can actually help?”</p><p>Echo laughed, actually laughed at him outright, then appeared contrite. “Sorry. But Clarke doesn’t need your help, Murphy. At least, not like that. She’s perfectly capable of doing all of those things on her own. If she needs anything at all, it’s only the same thing everyone else needs: support. And from what I’ve heard, you’ve done a fine job of that already.” She hesitated, then added, “Don’t… sabotage this before it even has a chance to start, okay?”</p><p>The rumbling of an incoming rover reached their ears, indicating that their talk was about to be cut short. Echo cast a disappointed glance in the direction of the sound, then turned back to Murphy. “This conversation isn’t over,” she stated, firm but sympathetic. “But you do have a lot on your plate right now, so I’ll let it slide. We’ll talk about it at home, okay? After the New Year.”</p><p>“Fine by me,” Murphy said, relieved and already planning how best to deflect next time she brought it up.</p><p>The two of them joined Clarke and Bellamy, who were talking in hushed tones. When they noticed the arrival, they parted, flashing them smiles. “Hey, Murphy, Echo.” Bellamy looked at Echo. “All good… back home?”</p><p>“Could be better,” Echo said. “But things are improving. How are things… here?”</p><p>“I think everything will be fine,” Bellamy said.</p><p>Murphy felt very strongly that he was missing something. Judging by the perplexion on Clarke's face, so did she.</p><p>The rover reached them, and surprisingly, Diyoza herself stepped out of the driver’s seat. An unfamiliar Eligius soldier stepped out of the passenger’s seat, eyeing her nervously, and Murphy knew why at once: Diyoza’s stomach was so swollen that he was surprised she still fit in the front seat. How pregnant must she have been by now? At least seven or eight months, right?</p><p>“Quit looking at me like that, all of you,” Diyoza barked genially. Murphy started and looked around, finding that they all looked as startled as he felt. “If my water breaks, I’ll pull over, alright? Sheesh. Lighten up, guys.”</p><p>“Mostly, I’m surprised you came all the way out here just to pick us up,” Clarke remarked tactfully. “I know you’re a busy person, so I appreciate the gesture.”</p><p>“Ha! Busy, my ass. Everyone’s so excited for New Year’s that they don’t have time to fight over work or resources anymore.” Diyoza spread her hands out, incredibly smug. “I’m practically on vacation right now. And,” she added pointedly to her guard, “I needed to stretch my legs. So I figured I’d get an update on the party planning process right from the source.”</p><p>The six of them piled into the rover, with Diyoza driving, Clarke in the passenger’s seat, and the other four in the back. The Eligius soldier kept to himself in the corner nearest the door, so Murphy, Echo, and Bellamy sat closer to the front seats. “So how soon does Mom think the baby will be here?” Clarke asked as they started driving away.</p><p>“Right around the New Year, actually,” Diyoza chuckled. “I’m just hoping it’s after, not before or, God forbid, on. What about you? I know you and Bellamy have Madi, of course, but have you ever thought about having another?”</p><p>Every thought in Murphy’s brain came to a violent, screeching halt. Forget ‘derailed’; any train of thought of in his head was blown to bits.</p><p>Bellamy was attacked by another violent coughing fit, and it must have been contagious, for Echo suddenly started coughing too. Murphy, for his part, was stock-still and perfectly silent as his mind fought a losing battle against the mental images Diyoza’s words had conjured, of Clarke and Bellamy living together permanently, raising a kid together.</p><p>“No, no, no,” Clarke was saying, her characteristic grace overridden by her obvious panic. “Bellamy and I aren’t – That’s not – We aren’t in a relationship like that. We’re just friends.”</p><p>Diyoza glanced skeptically at her. “Really? Don’t you two live together?”</p><p>“That’s just a matter of space,” Bellamy explained, having recovered. “You know, nine people in three homes. We’re working on building a fourth right now so that I can get out of Clarke’s hair.”</p><p>Diyoza still seemed skeptical, but she looked at Clarke again and something seemed to click on her face. Next thing Murphy knew, he had unintentionally made eye contact with her through the rearview mirror, and her lips twitched in a mimicry of a smirk.</p><p>
  <em>I really am that obvious, huh?</em>
</p><p>“I see,” Diyoza said to Clarke. “My apologies for the misunderstanding, then.”</p>
<hr/><p>When they arrived in Eligius, Emori was waiting for them. “Hey guys!” she greeted them, cheerfully returning the exuberant hug that Madi tackled her with as soon as the latter had hopped off Murphy’s horse. “I wasn’t expecting you, Madi!”</p><p>“Clarke wanted me to deliver something to Monty,” Madi explained, exchanging impish smirks with Murphy.</p><p>
  <em>("Okay, that’s <strong>definitely</strong> not right.")</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<h4>24 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>“What do you mean that’s not right?” Murphy griped, pressing the heels of his palms against his closed eyes. “What’s not right?”</p><p>“All of it,” Guard Man said. “You said you were heading to the neutral zone in a rover with Clarke and some others. Then, all of a sudden, you were in Eligius, on a horse, with Madi.”</p><p>Murphy shook his head and immediately regretted it as it sent his head swimming and his stomach churning. “That doesn’t sound right.”</p><p>“That’s what I said.”</p><p>“No, I mean what <em>you</em> said doesn’t… never mind.”</p><p>“So why were you in Eligius? Where was Clarke? Hey, wake up!”</p><p>Murphy started, his eyes flying wide open as his hands dropped from his face. “I wasn’t sleeping! Jesus, you just about gave me a freaking heart attack!” Guard Man was suddenly kneeling in front of him with a cup of water. Hadn’t he been halfway across the cave just seconds ago?</p><p>“Drink this,” Guard Man instructed, “and stay awake.”</p><p>Murphy scoffed at him. “I thought there was no problem with sleeping while concussed?”</p><p>“There’s not,” Guard Man said irritably. “But you need to stay hydrated, and you can’t do that while you’re sleeping. So….” He groaned, long, loud, and highly exaggerated. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… finish your freaking story if it’ll keep you awake long enough to drink this, alright?”</p>
<hr/>
<h4>3 DAYS + 10 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>When they arrived in Eligius, Emori was waiting for them. “Hey guys!” she greeted them, cheerfully returning the exuberant hug that Madi tackled her with as soon as the latter had hopped off Murphy’s horse. “I wasn’t expecting you, Madi!”</p><p>“Clarke wanted me to deliver something to Monty,” Madi explained, exchanging impish smirks with Murphy. All of Spacekru had ridden out to make their home in tents in the neutral zone a couple days ago to help with any last-minute preparations, and a day later, Monty and Emori had both been asked to help out with some technology thing in Eligius.</p><p>“I offered to bring her, since I was riding over anyway to check on Eligius’s side of the food prep,” Murphy elaborated.</p><p>Emori looked back and forth between them quizzically, then shrugged. “Alright then.”</p><p>She led the way through the various tents and cabins that had been erected since Murphy’s days in this area as Diyoza’s prisoner. Finally, they reached the ship itself. Murphy was surprised to see the New Year’s decorations that were strung everywhere. It seemed that even the serial killers and terrorists of Eligius IV were getting into the holiday spirit. In fact, as they stepped inside, the festive ambience was practically tangible. The relaxed chatter, the energetic shouts, even the barked directives were downright chipper. Murphy winced as they passed a room full of chorusing noisemakers, possibly being tested out to ensure that they were optimally vexing.</p><p>They came to a stop outside an unfamiliar room with a closed door. “Monty and Shaw are right inside,” Emori told Madi. “Why don’t you go ahead of us? I need to talk to Murphy for a second.”</p><p>Murphy rolled his eyes, certain that he knew what Emori wanted to talk about, as Madi nodded and bounced inside. Absently, he noted that it was nice to see Madi so happy, too. All too often, she seemed much too heavily burdened for her age, although Murphy knew that pretty much everyone in Spacekru other than Clarke and maybe Monty and/or Harper had been just as heavily burdened. He was glad that she, at least, had a chance at a fulfilling adolescence now.</p><p>Emori fixed him with a scorching look. “Three weeks,” she remarked acidly, “and you <em>still</em> aren’t dating Clarke? John, I can’t stress this enough: <em>I need to move out</em>.”</p><p>That threw him for a loop. “What? But I thought you were good with living with Raven and Echo.”</p><p>Emori snorted. “Hardly. Round-the-clock third-wheeling is not ideal.”</p><p>It took a few moments for Murphy to comprehend her meaning. “…Wait, Raven and Echo - ?”</p><p>She stared at him in unmitigated amazement. “You really are oblivious.” Shaking her head, she continued, “Anyway, I am begging you, John, I am <em>begging</em> you to get a move on with Clarke before that cabin is finished, because we’ve already decided that Bellamy and I are taking it and that you’re moving in with Clarke and Madi.” She jerked her head in the direction of the door, adding, “At least <em>that</em> relationship is going well.”</p><p>“You’ve decided? What, the six of you? You just – You just decided that, on your own, without talking to any of us?”</p><p>“Oh, no, of course not.” Emori winked. “We talked to Madi first, obviously.”</p><p>…Ignoring that frighteningly uncomfortable line of thought, Murphy pushed forward, “You guys really don’t care about boundaries at all, huh?”</p><p>“The time for boundaries is over,” Emori said sharply. “And between you and me, Octavia has some ideas about matchmaking that I don’t think you wanna give her the chance to execute.”</p><p>Murphy balked. “Who the hell had the bright idea to let Blodreina get involved in my love life?”</p><p>Emori crossed her arms. “No one had to. She’s involved herself in <em>Clarke’s</em> love life, because she’s <em>Clarke’s friend</em>.” She narrowed her eyes. “Shouldn’t that say something? Clarke’s friend, trying to get you and Clarke together?”</p><p>Murphy’s immediate instinct was to shoot back with a rejoinder, but…, well, that actually kinda made sense.</p><p>Emori smirked and took advantage of his hesitation to continue, “So tell me exactly what's holding you back from asking Clarke out.”</p><p>“Didn’t Echo tell you already?” Murphy grumbled.</p><p>“No, actually. Echo wouldn’t tell anyone how her conversation with you went. Just said that it was a work in progress.”</p><p>“Isn’t this weird for you anyway?” Murphy complained. “Y’know, as my ex-girlfriend?”</p><p>Emori rolled her eyes. “Stop stalling.”</p><p>Murphy sighed. “Look, I’m gonna ask her out, okay? Just – not right now.”</p><p>Emori threw her hands into the air, attracting the attention of several passersby. “Why not?!”</p><p>Murphy waited until said passersby returned to minding their business, then said, “We're really freaking busy right now. That’s not an excuse. I’m serious. The party is in three days. If I try to complicate Clarke’s life any further right now, she’s gonna kill me, and then Diyoza will probably also kill me, and then <em>Indra</em> will kill me, and I’ve seen up-close how she kills people – “</p><p>“Okay, fine,” Emori interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. “But – after New Year’s, you’ll ask her out?”</p><p>“…Maybe?”</p><p>“Maybe?”</p><p>“Probably?”</p><p>“<em>Probably</em>? <em>John</em>!”</p><p>“Look, me and relationships do not go well together, okay?” Murphy snapped, finally giving voice to the insidious feeling that had been thriving and spreading beneath his skin for months. Mindful of the risk of drawing an audience, he kept his volume on a tight leash. “I’m not good at being in a relationship. I’m not – I’m not good for people in any way, relationship or no relationship! If there’s one irrefutable fact that life has taught me, it’s that I drag people down. I’m not gonna do that to Clarke.”</p><p>“That’s – That’s just not true,” Emori spluttered, her arms falling to her sides. “You don’t drag anyone down at all. That’s not what happened.”</p><p>“’That’s not what happened?’ Which time? With my dad, or my mom, or you?”</p><p>Emori just stared at him in silent, unwarranted anguish for several heartbeats. Then, her voice strained, she said quietly, “Is that how you’ve felt this whole time?”</p><p>Murphy flushed and looked away. “What whole time? You’ll have to be more specific.” If he acted blasé enough about it, she would stop trying to comfort him, right?</p><p>“Since we broke up.”</p><p>He nearly winced, because that was the exact question he had <em>not</em> wanted her to ask, because the answer was ‘yes’ but saying ‘yes’ would make it sound like it was her fault when it really, really wasn’t. At the same time, out of everyone in their family, she was his oldest friend. He didn’t want to lie to her. He wasn’t even sure he could lie to her. “…Yeah, more or less.”</p><p>“I was afraid of that,” Emori sighed, wrapping one arm around herself and raising the other across her chest so she could rub anxiously at her neck. She looked around, then pushed him in the direction of a seemingly random door. When they reached it, she opened the door, revealing a closet, and shoved him inside before closing the door behind them both.</p><p>“Getting mixed signals here,” Murphy joked half-heartedly.</p><p>Emori rolled her eyes, then made eye contact with him. Well, she tried, anyway; Murphy angled his gaze at a mop off to the side instead. “John, you didn’t… drag me down. That’s not how it happened.”</p><p>“Yes, it is,” Murphy insisted, dropping his dispassionate guise. “You got good at something, and I felt… I don’t know, inadequate.” The word tasted like defeat. Everything he had done had been to avoid speaking it, as though that would diminish the feeling in some way. “And I put that on you. And I hurt you. I took the only good thing in my life and I fucked it up and I hurt you.”</p><p>“That’s a very one-sided description,” Emori observed. “The way I remember it, I hurt you too.” She set a hand on his shoulder, startling him into meeting her eyes. “No, you weren’t perfect, but neither was I. We both messed up.”</p><p>“But you were happy, and I <em>resented</em> you for it – “</p><p>“And you needed my support, and I wasn’t there for you,” Emori countered. “Because I was too busy being happy.”</p><p>“You deserved to be happy,” Murphy blurted out, because he absolutely didn’t want her to feel bad about that, but the words, ‘<em>and I don’t,</em>’ hung in the air between them as audibly as if he had spoken, and he wished fiercely that he hadn’t said anything at all.</p><p>Emori gave him a look that communicated perfectly, ‘<em>Yes, you do, idiot.</em>’ Then she said out loud, “Do you regret dating me?”</p><p>“Of course not,” Murphy replied automatically.</p><p>“Good, ‘cause neither do I,” Emori replied in kind. “I wouldn’t take back a second of it. Even the parts that hurt. Look at us now; we’re still friends, still family. So why should that stop you from dating Clarke? Just date her. And hurt her. And get hurt by her. Don’t you think the two of you are strong enough to get through it? Don’t you both at least deserve the chance to find out?”</p>
<hr/><p>Once Emori had hugged Murphy for an uncomfortably, embarrassingly long time, the two of them exited the closet and joined Madi and Shaw. “You two good?” Shaw said quizzically.</p><p>Emori clapped Murphy on the arm. “Yep.”</p><p>“Well…, okay. Madi and I were waiting for you; Monty is actually in the cafeteria right this second working on a malfunction with the algae farm, so we figured we’d go get him and have a late lunch slash early dinner together.”</p><p>The four of them made their way through the halls of the Eligius ship until they reached the noisy, cramped cafeteria, at which point Shaw waved Monty over.</p><p>“Hi, Monty!” Madi exclaimed, running towards him to hug him.</p><p>“Hey, Mad-“</p><p>
  <em>Bzzzt!</em>
</p><p>Monty squeaked as Madi released him from said hug and bounced back a few steps, grinning madly. “<em>What</em> - “</p><p>Madi lifted the same hand that had wrapped around Monty’s back, revealing a joy buzzer strapped to her palm.</p><p>Monty looked wildly back and forth between Madi and Murphy, who wore identical smirks. Finally he said to Murphy, outraged and scandalized, “<em>You weaponized the child</em>?!”</p><p>“Clarke sends her best!” Madi chirped.</p><p>Shaw and Emori burst into laughter, soon followed by Madi herself, and Murphy only held out for a heartbeat before his composure cracked and he joined them.</p><p>Monty crossed his arms and waited for them to recover with a scowl on his face, though the playful glint in his eyes betrayed his underlying amusement. Once they were done, he turned to Shaw and Emori. “Did one of you two make that thing?”</p><p>“Absolutely not,” Emori asserted at once. “We agreed that we’d all stay out of your crazy prank war with Murphy and Clarke, remember?”</p><p>Shaw raised his hands innocently. “Hey, I didn’t even know about the prank war ‘till Emori mentioned it just now. Definitely haven’t made any joy buzzers for Clarke. If anything, Barry probably made it for her. He works in tech, but he’s been known to make some practical joke items too; a joy buzzer is right up his alley.”</p><p>The five of them got their food and wormed their way through the congregation of workers on break to a relatively secluded section of table.</p><p>“Hey, Shaw,” one worker greeted Shaw from just past their target section as they approached. “Are you busy tonight? Me and a few of the guys are having poker night.”</p><p>“Afraid so,” Shaw replied genially. “The speaker system for the party still needs some work. You enjoy yourself, though, Jenkins. You’ve earned a break.”</p><p>They settled down on both sides of the table, with Monty warily putting Shaw between himself and Madi on one side and putting Emori between himself and Murphy on the other side.</p><p>“So, Murphy, fill me in,” Shaw started, leaning forward. “How has the party planning been for you and Clarke? I know Clarke always has a lot on her plate anyway, so it can’t have been easy on her, adding all this on top.”</p><p>“She’s not doing so bad. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she’ll be as glad as anyone when this mess is over, but I think she’s been enjoying it, too. She finds this work a lot more rewarding than, y’know, politics and shit.”</p><p>Shaw nodded thoughtfully. “And how’s her boyfriend doing? Are those shooting lessons driving Bellamy crazy yet?”</p><p>Murphy nearly spat his drink out. As it was, it took every ounce of self-control in his body to restrain himself from turning this into a much bigger deal than it had any right to be, but he succeeded…. Or he'd thought he had, anyway. The now-broken pieces of the wooden utensil in his hand stabbed at his palm, informing him that he had actually rather failed at that goal.</p><p>“Oh my <em>god</em>,” Shaw snickered, “I really thought Diyoza was exaggerating, but no, you really do look like someone kicked your puppy when someone mentions Clarke and Bellamy being in a relationship….”</p>
<hr/>
<h4>23.5 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>“…Wait, that’s it?” Guard Man asked, confused. “But… what does that have to do with you ending up here?”</p><p>Murphy raised an eyebrow as judgmentally as he could while his head felt fit to burst, or maybe melt. “Jenkins was right there,” he answered. “He heard Shaw teasing me. Isn’t that when you guys figured out that you should kidnap me to get at Clarke?”</p><p>“<em>No</em>!” Guard Man shouted. “Are you kidding me? That whole story was just so that you could get to the <em>wrong point</em>?! Dammit, I was so sure that you were finally getting somewhere when you mentioned the joy buzzer….”</p><p>“The joy buzzer?” Murphy echoed skeptically. “What does that have to – “</p><p>“I mean, you even said my name and everything – “</p><p>“When did I say your name? What even is your name?”</p><p>“<em>Barry</em>,” Guard Man groaned. “My name’s Barry. I’m the one who made the freaking buzzer.”</p><p>“Ohhh,” Murphy said. Then, “So what does the buzzer have to do with you guys figuring out that Clarke and I were, y’know, close?”</p><p>Guard Man – Barry – sighed. “I guess it’s my turn for some storytelling.”</p>
<hr/>
<h4>4 DAYS + 7 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>"Hi! Barry Walsh, right? I hear you build things in exchange for art?"</p><p>Whoever Barry was expecting to see when he turned from his workbench to the doorway, it wasn't Clarke Griffin. "Uh, yes, that's true," he confirmed absently, his mind wandering. To the best of his knowledge, the woman known by her people as the Commander of Death had multiple expert mechanics and engineers on call whose abilities surely surpassed his own. There was Raven Reyes, who had hacked into their ship in the first place, and Emori, who had managed to disable one of their shock collars in record time, and Monty Green, who was responsible for many of the most ingenious updates that Eligius's equipment had undergone so far. Even Eligius's own Ezekiel Shaw, by all appearances, was part of Griffin's inner circle. What could she need Barry's services for?</p><p>Griffin beamed at him. "Great! Someone said you can make those old-fashioned joy buzzers, the ones that you strap to your hand to shock people with. I was hoping I could trade you a drawing for one."</p><p>Barry couldn't help but stare for a few seconds. That was what she was here for? He had come face to face with Clarke Griffin for the first time, and she was... bartering for a practical joke? Could it be part of some secret, diabolical plan?</p><p>Well…, he had been looking for opportunities to gather intel on her…. It would probably be fine.</p><p>“Sure thing,” he agreed. “On the house for the woman arranging that New Year’s Bash.”</p><p>“Oh, really?” Griffin said in surprise. “I appreciate it, but that’s not necessary. I don’t mind.”</p><p>“Well, if you insist – but I don’t want you to have to worry about it right now, with that party in just a few days. How about you’ll just owe me a drawing?”</p><p>Griffin waffled for a few seconds, then relented. “Okay, thanks.”</p><p>As Barry turned from her to his workbench to get to work on the joy buzzer (they were a pretty frequent request, so he kept the supplies in his workspace), he made small talk with her. “So, what’s your boyfriend up to these days?” he asked as neutrally as he could. “Is he working on something in Wonkru, or the neutral zone, or Spacekru…?”</p><p>“My… boyfriend?”</p><p>“Bellamy Blake?”</p><p>"Bellamy is not my boyfriend," Griffin blurted out.</p><p>Barry started. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to offend - "</p><p>"No, it's - it's not that - " Griffin sighed. "Bellamy's great, of course. He's my best friend. It's just - " She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Does <em>everyone</em> think that we're dating?"</p><p>Barry glanced over his shoulder at her. "...As far as I know..., yeah, pretty much."</p><p>Griffin's shoulders slumped defeatedly. "Great."</p><p>"If you don't mind my asking," Barry said as he returned to his work, "if you two are so close, why does that bother you so much?"</p><p>"...I guess it doesn't, not really," Griffin answered, but she still sounded defeated. "It... complicates other things. That's all."</p><p>That might have been the end of the conversation under different circumstances. Truth be told, Barry would have preferred for that to be the end of the conversation. He wasn't an especially extraverted person by nature. But Thomson (or, as Barry and his other followers referred to him, Chief) was planning a coup to usurp Colonel Diyoza and claim all of Eden in McCreary's name, and Clarke Griffin was right at the center of that plan. She was the one who had arranged the truce between Eligius and Wonkru in the first place, and she had been the strongest force in maintaining that truce; if they could take her out of commission, surely the alliance would soon fall into chaos. Maybe they could even frame Diyoza for it.</p><p>Of course, by now, everyone had heard the stories about Griffin's many conquests, and Chief was loathe to tackle her head-on. That was why all of Chief's followers were searching for some kind of leverage they could use against her. The first candidate had been Madi Griffin, but she was too well-protected by, well, basically everyone. The second candidate, and the one they were currently planning to kidnap, was Bellamy Blake, but the planning process was incredibly slow-going, because Blake bounced around Wonkru, Spacekru, and even Eligius too often for any of them to get an idea of where they could kidnap him from. But if there was someone else they could kidnap, maybe someone a little less capable and a little more predictable....</p><p>With that in mind, Barry asked, "Complications like... trying to date someone else?"</p><p>Griffin sighed heavily. "Yeah, but... honestly, I think that's a pipe dream anyway."</p><p>When that seemed to be all she had to say, Barry pressed, "Why's that? Who is it you’d like to date?"</p><p>“Oh, you probably don’t know him,” Griffin said, crushing Barry’s hopes. “He’s not in Eligius much. Actually, I don’t know that he’s been here at all since wartime.”</p><p>Well, that… narrowed it down, at least?</p><p>"The joy buzzer is actually for him. Well, sort of. I got roped into a prank war between him and his roommates."</p><p>Okay, that was... something. He could tell his colleagues to keep an eye out for something like that.</p><p>“But the thing is, I've just recently learned that apparently everyone in our immediate friend group knows that I’m interested in him, and I have to think that if all of them know that, then he must know that, and that if he wanted something more out of our relationship, he'd just say so. Clearly the only reason he hasn’t said anything is because he doesn’t feel the same way as me, so the best thing to do is to keep my mouth shut about it…. It would have been nice if he did feel the same way, though.”</p><p>Barry deflated where he stood. Was he really going to suffer through a whole dialogue with her without reaping any of the rewards? He should've kept his mouth shut after all.</p><p>"Pretty much everyone I hang out with is directly involved in all the politics between Spacekru, Wonkru, and Eligius. Bellamy's one of my favorite people to spend time with, and I can hardly get through a conversation without mentioning this or that from some kind of trade deal. If I were going to date anyone, it would be nice to date someone who's not part of all that." She sighed heavily. "It's probably a bad idea anyway, though. The people I get involved with... have a bad habit of dying. Badly."</p><p>Thankfully, she ceased talking then. It wasn't until Barry handed over the completed joy buzzer that she spoke again.</p><p>"Oh, this is great! Thanks, Walsh. Murphy's gonna love this."</p><p>Barry's heart stopped. "...Murphy?" Was she giving him a name after all?</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Griffin confirmed off-handedly. "John Murphy. That's the guy."</p>
<hr/>
<h4>23 HOURS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>"...Really?"</p><p>"Yeah, it was actually your girlfriend's fault that you ended up here."</p><p>"...She really said all that?"</p><p>Barry slowly lowered his head into his opens hands and moaned softly, "Please, God, please let me <em>stop talking to these lovesick morons</em>."</p><p>"Hey, <em>you</em> kidnapped <em>me</em>, remember?" Murphy defended himself. "Didn't even bring me a book or - "</p><p>He was cut off by an explosion somewhere near the cave that caused at least seven layers of dust to fall from the cave roof, triggering coughing fits from both of them.</p><p>"Oh," Murphy said. "That'll be Wanheda."</p><p>Barry shot to his feet, drew his gun, and marched towards the entrance to the cave. No sooner had he reached it than a well-placed punch had sent him reeling to the side before collapsing where he stood, clearly unconscious.</p><p>Bellamy stepped into view, his eyes lighting up when he spotted Murphy. "You're here!" he exclaimed, dashing towards him and unsheathing a dagger.</p><p>"Where else would I be?" Murphy countered, pointedly raising his tied wrists.</p><p>Bellamy snorted, quickly drawing the blade back and forth across the rope to slice it open. "We had to check a few caves before we found this one," he explained. "When we found out you were kidnapped - well, O nearly killed the messenger on-sight. I think she took it personally that someone dared to kidnap Clarke's... whatever-you-are-to-her. Anyway, the guy got knocked out cold, so all we got to hear was that you were in a cave somewhere. We've been checking out caves for the past, like, three hours." Finished cutting the rope, Bellamy sheathed the dagger and stood. "Stay here," he instructed. "I'm gonna go make sure the fighting's over and send Clarke your way. It probably isn't, since there weren't many people here to begin with.... Honestly, Murphy, you got kidnapped by a group of dumbasses. Just so you know, I'm never gonna let you forget that." With that, he took off.</p><p>True to Bellamy's prediction, it wasn't long before Clarke skidded into the cave. "Murphy," she breathed, relief etched into her features. She darted closer and knelt before him, gently pulling him into a sitting position. "Thank God. Are you hurt?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah," Murphy said, too bleary to lie even if he'd wanted to. "Just - my head. Think I'm concussed."</p><p>Clarke cursed, feeling around the back of his head. He hissed as her palm found its mark, and when she pulled her hand away, both of them looked down to see her fingers stained red.</p><p>"Sorry," Murphy muttered.</p><p>Clarke started, jerking her head back up to stare at him, eyes wild with fear and anger. "What? What are you apologizing for? Murphy, none of this was your fault."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," he mumbled, "I just explained that to Barry, but - I'm sorry about - your plan."</p><p>"Murphy, look at me." Clarke's hands enveloped his cheeks, and she eased his head upright. "I don't care about a plan or some freaking <em>party</em>, okay? I care about <em>you</em>." Her thumb brushed delicately across his right cheekbone. He tried valiantly to maintain concentration on what she was saying, to keep his eyes focused on hers, but every second was a struggle. "That was always the important thing. Peace, for the people I love. For Madi, and Mom, and our friends, and <em>you</em>. I'm just glad you're okay.... Well," she amended ruefully, "not in immediate danger, anyway."</p><p>Murphy's world spun faster and faster. Was his wooziness from her nearness to him, or her words, or the concussion? "Think 'm 'bout to pass out," he grunted in case it was the latter reason.</p><p>Clarke smiled, though it was an act fraught with tension and worry. "You look like you could use the sleep."</p><p>"No," Murphy disagreed. "Well, yes, but... I have to ask you something. Something important."</p><p>Clarke's breath caught in her throat. "Yeah?"</p><p>Murphy cast his mind about for the question that had just recently occupied the bulk of his attention. "...The guards, outside," he remembered. Clarke's shoulders slackened slightly. "The people who did this. Did you - Did you kill them?"</p><p>"...No," Clarke admitted. "We knocked them all out."</p><p>"Good."</p><p>"Good?" Clarke echoed. She sounded baffled, but there was a fondness in her eyes, and Murphy zeroed in on it, anchoring his drifting consciousness to her gaze. Her smile turned into a goofy, lopsided grin. "Yeah, you're concussed alright."</p><p>"I mean it," Murphy pressed, experiencing brief clarity as he recalled the reason for his question. "We can give them a - a trial. And - weren't there lawyers or something in the old world? We'll give them lawyers, and an unbiased judge, and all that justice crap. It's not over, Clarke. We can still start over."</p><p>Clarke's smile was incandescent as she huffed out a short but genuine laugh. "I like the sound of that. Starting over with fair trials instead of executions.... Okay, Murphy, we can do that." Her hands were still smooth and warm and unyielding against his face, and part of him registered that she was probably smearing his own blood on his skin. The rest of him didn't care, too caught up in thinking about what a wonderful feeling it was to have her so close to him with no motive beyond comfort and simple intimacy.</p><p>...Yeah, if he was waxing poetic about her like a hormonal teenager, the wooziness was probably from the concussion after all.</p><p>But he wasn't ready to rest just yet. "Also," he continued determinedly, "I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date sometime."</p><p>Clarke froze, but Murphy forced himself not to read into that, empowered by the fresh optimism that Barry's story had instilled in him at him.</p><p>"I - Yeah. Yes." Clarke scooted closer to rest her forehead against his, beaming at him. "Yes," she repeated with feeling. "I'd love to."</p><p>Murphy grinned. "Good, because if you didn't, this would be awkward."</p><p>Clarke chuckled, tenderly brushing his hair out of his eyes. "You can go ahead and rest now, Murphy," she told him. "Bellamy and Echo are here. They can carry you out, okay? We've got you."</p>
<hr/>
<h4>1 HOUR BEFORE THE NEW YEAR</h4><p>"Clarke, sit down and stop working," Abby ordered exasperatedly, pushing her daughter towards the outskirts of the packed clearing. Murphy trailed behind her, one hand on Abby's arm and the other hand around Madi's shoulders to keep the four of them from getting separated in the horde of partiers.</p><p>"I just wanted to check - "</p><p>"Doctor's orders," Abby cut off Clarke's protest. "You've been working yourself to exhaustion day-in and day-out for nearly a month. Now it's time for you to relax and enjoy yourself. You've earned it."</p><p>Clarke begrudgingly permitted Abby to push her into an open seat. "Alright. Thanks, Mom."</p><p>"No problem, sweetie. Murphy, I'm gonna need your help with something...."</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>Abby considered him for a moment. "You know, you're still recuperating from that concussion.... I think Madi will be able to help me instead. You should really rest for a moment, too. You and Clarke can 'hang out'," she added airily, "or whatever the kids call it these days." Without further ado, Abby walked away from the two highly disturbed young adults, guiding her laughing granddaughter back into the party.</p><p>"...It really was <em>everyone</em>, huh?" Murphy commented as he sat beside Clarke.</p><p>She snorted. "You're telling me. Would you believe half our friend group spent the past month practically begging me to ask you out?"</p><p>"I might not have if the same thing hadn't happened to me."</p><p>A few moments passed in silence, at least between the two of them. The party they had slaved over raged on without them, some people on the outskirts like them, chatting with drinks in-hand, but most of them dancing to the upbeat, eclectic tune that the speakers had just begun pumping into the air. Murphy was finding that after nearly a whole day of mandatory bedrest (well, it had felt like a whole day, anyway, but it had probably only been twelve hours or so), ‘resting’ was not exactly agreeing with him. The incessant tapping of Clarke’s foot on the ground indicated that she was feeling quite the same way.</p><p>Murphy slapped his hands against his thighs. “Well, I think we’re fully rested now, don’t you?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah, definitely. In fact, as a doctor, I think the absolute healthiest thing we could do is get up and, I don’t know, maybe move around a bit?”</p><p>Murphy canted his head. “You mean, like, go for a jog or something?”</p><p>“Or something,” she agreed, laughing.</p><p>The two of them bolted from their seats, throwing themselves into the party. Murphy lost track of time as he spun, shimmied, and generally acted like a fool with Clarke right next to him moving just as foolishly. He was dizzy for a much better reason than he had been the night before by the time a hand that did not belong to Clarke caught him by his elbow. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you two!” Raven shouted over the song and the clamor of the crowd, but she and Echo were laughing, so they couldn’t be too mad. “Abby said you were resting – “</p><p>“We finished resting!”</p><p>He saw more than heard Raven snort. “Come on! Monty and Harper have something they want to tell us!”</p><p>She and Echo led him and Clarke off to the side, where the rest of Spacekru was waiting for them, even Madi. It was probably the quietest place they could go that was still technically in the designated party area, but with the steadily escalating cacophony in the center, there was really nowhere to be heard too well.</p><p>Still, when Harper announced that she was pregnant, Murphy heard loud and clear.</p><p>“Was that supposed to be a secret?” Raven questioned.</p><p>Monty and Harper looked around at them, growing more and more surprised as they were met with unsurprised albeit excited faces. “Wait, you guys all knew?” Monty exclaimed.</p><p>"Wow," Murphy teased gleefully, "you two really did think you were being subtle? Both of you?"</p><p>“You people are terrible,” Echo commented. “Congratulations, you two.”</p><p>“I’m the godfather, right?” Murphy checked. “I mean, I’ve been living with you for months. It’s only fair that I get to be godfather.”</p><p>“You’re all godparents, okay?” Harper told them.</p><p>Echo glanced at one of the large clocks that had been erected around the party clearing. “It’s nearly midnight, guys! Everyone have a drink?”</p><p>“Oh, crap,” Murphy said, and most of their group echoed the sentiment.</p><p>“I’ll grab for everyone,” Clarke volunteered.</p><p>“Not by yourself, you won’t,” Emori pointed out. “I’ll help you. Besides, you gotta have someone to kiss at midnight in case you don’t make it back in time, right?” She winked at Clarke.</p><p>“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I <em>just got</em> that girlfriend, you can’t steal her from me already!”</p><p>“If kissing meant being in a relationship, you two would have been dating months ago,” Bellamy reminded him.</p><p>Clarke and Emori vanished into the crowd.</p><p>At thirty seconds to midnight, they had yet to resurface.</p><p>"Bellamy, where are Clarke and Emori?" Murphy demanded, leaning towards Bellamy, who was closest to him, so that his lips were beside the other man's ear. "You don’t think Clarke went back to working, do you?"</p><p>"I don't know!" Bellamy shouted back, looking alarmed. "Didn’t she say she was done?!"</p><p>Just as Murphy was contemplating diving into the throng of drunk, dancing obstacles to retrieve his girlfriend, Clarke practically materialized at his side, with Emori right beside her.</p><p>Right on cue, the crowd began chanting loudly.</p><p>
  <em>"Ten!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nine!"</em>
</p><p>"You made me nervous for a second there, Griffin," Murphy teased.</p><p>
  <em>"Eight!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Seven!"</em>
</p><p>"Sorry!" Clarke gasped. "Diyoza needed help with something - getting through the crowd is impossible right now - "</p><p>
  <em>"Six!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Five!"</em>
</p><p>"At least you're in time for midnight,” Murphy grinned.</p><p>
  <em>"Four!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Three!"</em>
</p><p>"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Clarke promised, sidling closer.</p><p>
  <em>"Two!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"One!</em>
</p><p>Clarke pressed her soft lips against Murphy's, and the world around them faded, even the din of the crowd roaring, "<em>HAPPY NEW YEAR!</em>" reduced to white noise. Surely they had kissed a million times before, but never had a kiss between them been so full of meaning and possibility. Entire futures unfolded right before his closed eyes in the seconds he spent with his hands on her waist and her arms around his neck and her scent enveloping him.</p><p>At the chorus of wolf-whistles that surrounded them and the strain of oxygen deprivation in his lungs, Murphy reluctantly pulled away from Clarke, finding his euphoria reflected in her shining gaze.</p><p>"Happy New Year, Murphy," she breathed.</p><p>"Happy New Year, Clarke."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In case you couldn't tell, that was my first kiss scene, and my first romance-centric story :P</p><p>This was also my first time participating in Chopped Holidays and my second time participating in anything Chopped, so I hope it turned out okay! Constructive criticism is absolutely welcome and appreciated if you have time to leave some.</p><p>(P.S. I didn’t get a chance to clarify this in-story, but if you remember the moment when Echo and Murphy are finished talking and they go to Clarke and Bellamy, right before Diyoza picks them up with rover – Bellamy was basically giving Clarke the same talk that Echo was trying to give Murphy, which they planned ahead of time, and the cryptic exchange between Bellamy and Echo is code for, “How did your conversation go?”)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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